"What a chimera then is man. What a novelty! What a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy. Judge of all things, imbecile worm of the earth; depositary of truth, a sink of uncertainty and error: the pride and refuse of the universe."

Wizards, unchanged for centuries, are now more sensitive to the kind of magic they blissfully avoided for so long - that which builds airplanes and bombs, and abolishes tradition. War has never been so difficult to ignore. London is a city strangled with propellers and guns, and Grindelwald sifts through the ashes of Europe performing his Greater Good.

Hogwarts has long been a sanctuary, but even its ancient walls are not immune. Deep beneath the dungeons stirs a new danger, the likes of which are as old as the castle itself. "All who behold its eyes fall dead upon the spot..."

"As he moved up the school, [Tom Riddle] gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; I call them that, for want of a better term, although...Riddle undoubtedly felt no affection for any of them. This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts.

Rigidly controlled by Riddle, they were never detected in open wrongdoing, although their seven years at Hogwarts were marked by a number of nasty incidents to which they were never satisfactorily linked, the most serious of which was, of course, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which resulted in the death of a girl."

-As observed by Albus Dumbledore, HBP

The Walpurgis, or the "Riddle Gang," are a group of pureblood Slytherins with whom Tom Riddle associates during his time at Hogwarts. These are the elitist bastards who want to run the joint, who are aware of if not interested in the Dark Arts, and who will later become the first members of the Death Eaters. In other words, they're the most badass students to ever pass through Hogwarts' doors, and they already have something of a reputation.

Riddle enjoys playing off ambitions and soliciting competition among the members; as an expert manipulator and charmer, he is usually successful. Not everyone in the group is on friendly terms, of course, and due to competition for Riddle's approval as well as other factors, there is a great potential for backstabbing and internal conflict. And additionally, they are surreptitiously involved in crimes throughout the castle. In other words, they've got so much plotting and drama and fun, and you should take up one of them!

Note that we will be a little pickier with apps for the Riddle Gang (especially the inner group), just because they're such central characters in this era. The factoids about them are generalized suggestions only - feel free to flesh out the characters however you like, as long as it doesn't contradict what's already been said.

TOM RIDDLE, fifth year

"If he was frightening or impressing fellow Slytherins with displays of Parseltongue in their common room, no hint of it reached the staff. He showed no sign of outward arrogance or aggression at all. As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet, and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favorably impressed by him."

"he was by no means the eldest of the group of boys, but that they all seemed to look to him as their leader"

outwardly, a model student, brilliant as well as respectful

extremely charismatic, and on good terms with almost all the staff

already has a defining fear of death, as well as an obsession with being "special"

has characteristics similar to a sociopath

before he even heard of Hogwarts, he already had a grasp on nonverbal magic, mild legimency, and parseltongue - these skills could only have grown in the meantime

uses a combination of threat and charisma to coerce the gang, and maintains good control of them

although he uses people, he prefers to operate alone; not even the inner circle can claim his confidence genuinely

INNER CIRCLE

Closest to Riddle, they are privileged with more information as well as more status. They also exert some inherent influence on the members of the outer circle. All of these members are part of the Slug Club, and from either prominent or wealthy families. They are at the uppermost tier of pureblood society, and due to their own characteristics, expected to become very successful.

Foras ROSIER, sixth year taken!

the number two, speaking basically

a sort of confidante of Riddle, or the closest anyone can come to

trusted to carry out plans and handle details, ie the "dirty work"

reserved, analytical, detail-oriented, crafty, and practical

discreet and calm, he favors deceit and strategy over outright confrontation

difficult to read at any given time, and doesn't often betray emotion

secretly rather interested in muggle history and philosophy, which he hides to the best of his ability

although he doesn't exactly display outward affection, he is very protective over his younger sister, Druella

_____ LESTRANGE, fifth year

comes from an old lineage but his family's actual wealth is in decline

extremely ambitious, partly as a result, as well as competitive and aggressive

does very well in schoolwork

generally distrustful, but once his loyalty is gained, it usually lasts

somewhat old-fashioned in his ideals and mannerisms

zealous upholder of blood purity

has an interest for the dark arts

admires Riddle more than anyone else, and wants his approval

a little more than mildly jealous of Rosier

close friends with Avery

_____ AVERY, fifth year

comes from a newer pureblood family that has recently become extremely wealthy, perhaps "nouveau rich"

arrogant and impulsive, entitled and easily offended

gets into duels more often than he should

intelligent not analytically but often creatively, with an eye for looking at a situation differently

has a knack for coming up with his own spells

more respectful in his earlier years, but lately, he's been tiring of Riddle's cautious approach and admonishments (which means he'll eventually get his comeuppance)

close friends with Lestrange

constant annoyance to Rosier, who is usually the one doing damage control

has a younger brother who desperately wants in on the gang, but who he feels is not ready for the kind of dangers involved (more below in outer circle)

_____ YAXLEY, sixth year

hedonistic, selfish, and crafty

a womanizer, though of course only of the pureblood sort

charismatic and suave

has a much better temper than most of the riddle gang, and nearly as patient as Rosier

on friendly terms with everyone, but not particularly friends with anyone

has a good deal of contacts in and outside of Hogwarts, which he cultivates carefully - it is his main resource

lies a lot, and shamelessly

has had an eye on Druella Rosier for quite a while

OUTER CIRCLE

They have less knowledge and are more likely to be used. The outer circle is made up of two different kinds of people: those who are just in it for the advantages and content to be where they are, and those who are more ambitious, looking to move through the ranks. Of course, the groups are loosely defined and more implied than structured.

_____ NOTT, fifth year

in years later, when Voldemort returns, he's the first death eater to fall to his knees and declare his devotion

obsequious and very intuitive with flattery - knows what to say and when

easily intimidated and somewhat of a coward

extremely observant and nosy

known to have dirt on almost everyone

depending on someone's status, he will either suck up or act condescending

runs errands for the inner circle boys, and also does schoolwork for them on occasion

on good terms with Avery, who likes to hear good things about himself even though he knows they're false

_____ MULCIBER, sixth year

physically intimidating

a bully: pettily sadistic, and likes a good show

tends to pick fights he knows he will win

he's not studious or academic as Lestrange or Rosier, but he's quick on his feet

often accompanies Rosier during some of his "visits" and background work

really annoyed by Nott, who has basically wormed his way into the group through petty horse-patting; wants to get him someday, when he doesn't have protection

ANTONIN DOLOHOV, fourth year

in the future, goes on to defeat Moody and kill Lupin

already kind of dangerous, not quite right in the head

beginning to experiment with the dark arts

appears as a sort of shifty, quiet kid who doesn't have many friends

Riddle, as a prefect, catches him cursing a student, but instead of reprimanding him, tells him how to do it better

from there, he's "adopted" and the new favorite for a while - which will of course create jealousy among the other members

_____ AVERY, fourth year

younger brother of the Avery in the inner circle

hero-worships Riddle and wants in on the group, but is met with reluctance from the elder Avery, whose protection he interprets as competition